How to Check Your Neck for Goitres

Exciting news, my book is finally here! New to learning about your thyroid health? Learn why it's important to be your own health advocate in my book now. Available on Amazon

This post may contain affiliate links, to find out more information, please read my disclosure statement.

Originally published on 6th June 2016Last updated on 27th June 2019

Checking your neck for goitres, nodules and abnormalities is important to get in to the habit of regularly so that you can get appropriate treatment, if needed, for anything that may be cause for concern. Such as: a nodule, goitre or thyroid cancer. Catching these as soon as possible is obvisouly most ideal.

You can check your thyroid for these by following the below steps.

First of all, you need to get yourself in front of a mirror, removing anything that doesn’t give you a clear view of your neck, like jumpers and scarves.

Stretch your neck back, with your chin pointing towards the ceiling.

Closely look at your neck, looking for any enlargement or lumpiness.

Swallowing some water might help to highlight anything.

Feel where your thyroid is, and around it, very gently, to see if you can feel any enlargement or lumps

If you think you can feel something not quite right, like any enlargement, tenderness (besides the uncomfortable feeling of touching your neck area) or lumps, you should see a doctor as soon as possible to get their opinion.

If you see a doctor who insists it is nothing to worry about, you may wish to see another doctor for a second opinion. They should further examine the neck and may also order further testing.

For more information on goitres, nodules and enlargement, please see this article.

You can click on the hyperlinks in the above post to learn more and see references to information given.

If you found this article beneficial, please take a moment to share it so we can help others get better with hypothyroidism and Hashimoto's, whilst also raising awareness. "Be Your Own Thyroid Advocate."